"I'm not really worried," I said to John as I settled into the plush theater seat. The room was packed with fans, YouTubers, and other social-media personalities from the comic-book fandom. The Flash was still two days away from its official release, and as had become tradition we were hosting a special early screening.
Along with John Matt, Matt's new girlfriend, Jessica; and my new assistant, Liz Graves who happened to be a huge Marvel and DC fan—were all there.
"I feel like there's less interest in this one," John said. "I mean, I love the Flash, you know that. I just don't want all those predictions of a flop to come true, and this ends up being the only Flash movie we ever get."
I turned toward him. "Look, even if this movie underperforms and I'm not saying it will, we'll still do a sequel."
John nodded, but his brow stayed furrowed. I understood. The press hadn't been gentle: box-office projections were lower than we'd hoped. Early critical reactions were solid but they weren't as glowing as the last four releases.
People filtered into the theater more steadily, and soon every seat was filled.
Liz leaned in. "You know," she said, "I probably should have started working for you after this movie."
I glanced at her. "Why's that, Graves?"
"Because half the plot's already been spoiled for me."
"Sorry, Graves. That's part of the job now."
"Well, just remember who gets your lunch before you talk spoilers near me," she joked.
"Julie was a lot nicer, you know," I said with a chuckle.
The lights began to dim, and a huge cheer erupted as the movie started.
The DC Studios logo flickered onto the screen, orange lightning crackling around it.
The first scene showed a young Barry Allen in a Little League baseball game, his mom Nora and dad Henry watching on. The ball soared through the sky, and Barry sprinted after it, arms stretched until he tripped hard and missed. The game was over; his team had lost.
Young Barry looked devastated.
"Damn it, Thawne!" someone yelled, drawing laughter in the hall.
The scene shifted. They were driving home, Nora in the passenger seat, Henry behind the wheel, Barry sulking in the back.
"It was just one game, sweetie," Nora said, turning to smile at him.
Barry didn't respond, and as soon as they got home he went straight to his room. Then the tragedy that shapes Barry's life unfolded: as night fell, Barry crept downstairs after hearing a crack of thunder.
When the flash of yellow lightning streaked past his door, people cheered. I couldn't help but let out a quiet chuckle cheering during the worst moment of Barry Allen's life.
Downstairs, chaos erupted. Barry rushed in to find his mother on the ground, motionless. Lightning flickered. Windows blew open. His father burst in, followed by police officers, who immediately arrested Henry.
"I didn't do anything, Barry…Barry …look away, Barry!" Henry shouted, eyes wide with disbelief.
Young Barry stood frozen, tears forming, as the frame locked on his face.
And just like that, we jumped forward in time.
We met adult Barry as he arrived at a crime scene. Grant Gustin was perfect here, nailing the honest, awkward energy that makes Barry lovable without tipping into caricature. He mumbled an apology to someone he bumped into, then muttered a sarcastic comment under his breath to a tech who gave him grief.
Barry argued with a disinterested detective, insisting the deceased had been murdered showing off his intelligence.
Iris was introduced next: as Barry left the scene, she pestered him about what happened, and Barry runs away from her. Some laughter rippled through the audience.
The following scene took place in Barry's CCPD lab, where characters like Detective Singh and Patty Spivot appeared. August Heart, played by Ben Barnes, earned a few whoops and claps. I had no plans for Godspeed yet, but I'd made sure that door stayed open.
Barry's office held some environmental storytelling.
His workspace was cluttered papers, equipment, stray evidence bags but eagle-eyed fans in the audience could spot more.
On the wall hung a slightly faded poster: Justice Society of America, featuring old-school heroes some recognizable, some obscured. Cheers from the comic readers erupted again.
Beside it? Clippings of news:
"Superman Saves Space Shuttle"
"Batman Sighted Again in Gotham"
"A New Age of Heroes?"
The scene showed looking at a folder proof he was still investigating what happened the night his mother died.
Iris once again made her appearance, asking for Barry's help. She tells him what she is investigating and it introduces the Rogues for the first time.
"Bank robbery. Small town..except…" Iris showed pictures on her phone.
The photos revealed metal bars frozen solid—and broken.
"I have no idea this happened, no one's mentioned it here," he said.
"Exactly. Someone's keeping it quiet," Iris replied. "I want to know why."
Barry shook his head. "Never seen anything like it. But I'll ask around."
Some flirtatious banter followed; Iris asked Barry out, but the hint sailed right over his head. Iris left, and August called Barry an idiot.
Barry blinked, then looked at August. "Wait. Did she just—"
"Go," August said, shoving him toward the door. "Before she gives up on you entirely."
Cue laughter from the audience.
Barry caught up and finally agreed to go out with Iris but that date never happened, because the next scene changed Barry's life forever. Alone in his lab that night, getting ready to leave, he noticed lightning flickering outside.
Then… a sound.
A hum.
Barry turned toward the glass.
Yellow lightning.
Lightning struck the building.
Barry was hit full-on by a blinding bolt of light and energy. Chemicals exploded around him.
Next came a rapid-fire montage of what happened afterward Edgar Wright style.
Barry being rushed to the hospital—EMTs shouting vitals.
Iris West in the waiting room, eyes red.
August Heart and Patty Spivot checking in during their shifts.
Detective Singh standing over Barry's bed, muttering under his breath.
Then… a new presence.
The camera followed two newcomers. A slow pan up revealed Antony Starr as Harrison Wells, flanked by Silas Stone (played by Joe Morton). They spoke with the doctor as Barry was moved to S.T.A.R. Labs.
Barry awoke as the montage ended.
"Mr. Allen," a voice said.
Barry turned his head and met Harrison Wells and Silas Stone. Wells told Barry he'd been in a coma for nine months. Barry panicked for a moment but calmed as Wells's gentle, understanding tone took over. Silas added that he wanted to run some tests, but Barry asked to leave; Wells agreed immediately.
Silas looked stunned. "Dr. Wells, we haven't even run full diagnostics—"
Wells didn't change his mind. Barry left, and Wells offered help whenever he needed it.
The next cut shifted tone dramatically.
A dark warehouse.
Leonard Snart (Wentworth Miller) stood at the head of a table, setting a revamped Cold Gun on the table.
Mick Rory (Boyd Holbrook) grinned, hefting a massive flamethrower-like weapon.
Lisa Snart (Riley Keough) leaned against a stack of crates, twirling a pistol.
Their dynamic was tight seasoned criminals with a sibling rivalry ready to combust. The scene itself made them interesting; Edgar and the actors nailed it. Mick even mentioned Batman, quipping how he was glad that they decided not to go to Gotham.
Snart then laid out his plan: hit Central City Trust. All three climbed into a car and sped toward Central City.
Back at Barry's apartment, Barry stared at his reflection in the mirror. His shirtless torso revealed lean muscle carved from nowhere.
"What the hell…" he muttered, turning. "Did I… get abs?"
The audience laughed.
He touched his bicep, then his calves, then flexed a little—just to check.
The next scenes showed Barry meeting Iris, their reunion, and then finally visiting his father to prove he was fine. They shared a very emotional moment, and Barry promised he would get Henry out.
Leaving the prison, Barry's powers were revealed when he ran to save a woman almost hit by a truck. Barry was astonished that he cleared the distance so quickly. He tried it again—and once more he ran fast.
The world… slowed down.
Leaves drifted mid-air. A bird flapped its wings in slow motion. A car horn dragged into a low hum.
Then the world snapped back to normal.
Back home, more strange things started happening. He'd reach for something and suddenly it was already in his hand. He'd blink and appear in a different room. He dropped a coffee mug and caught it before it hit the ground—without even realizing.
He decided to test his powers.
The camera followed him zooming, rushing, with a blur of gold lightning tracing behind. But Barry had no control; he slammed into the side of a building and let out a painful yelp as his arm snapped.
Then he noticed his shoes had burned off, and his pants and shirt were on fire. He limped home barefoot, almost naked. The entire sequence got a very positive response from the audience.
Back home, he was inspired by a TV news segment showing Superman saving a derailed train. The scene drew the biggest cheers, as it was Superman's first appearance since the Superman movie. Henry had come in and shot the small cameo scene.
Barry decides to become a hero.
In the next few scenes, the Flash is born.
It starts simple.
Barry practices running at night but finds his clothes burn off, so he makes his own suit.
Barry walks into a Central City fire station under the guise of a safety inspector. Inside, he finds some Wayne Enterprises experimental gear—flame-retardant boots and suits Wayne donated months ago.
Barry "borrows" a set and runs out.
He stitched, soldered, tested. The fabric was crimson, with gold accents etched along the seams.
When he first put it on, the theater erupted.
Red and gold. The Flash.
The scene shows Barry's first attempts at being a hero: he zips through streets, stops a mugger, catches a falling child in the blink of an eye, saves a dog from a speeding car. Each time, he's a blur awkward and clumsy, but learning.
The more he does it, the better he gets.
Barry visits STAR Labs again after Wells calls, saying he knows Barry is the Blur and can help. At STAR Labs, Wells tells him Barry's presence here was a secret only he and Stone knew. Barry begins working with Wells and Stone.
Wells seems to have answers too many answers but he's kind, supportive, almost a father figure.
They run tests.
Barry surpassed his maximum speeds many times.
He passes out from eating too little.He drafts a diet plan with three times the calories of a normal man—soon he's a regular at every food truck outside the station, earning more laughs from the audience.
Meanwhile, Barry builds a friendship with Dr. Silas Stone, whose appearances are small but notable. At one point there's a big cameo by a preteen Victor Stone, which draws a huge reaction.
In the media, the Blur is hailed as Central City's own hero.
Soon, the headlines catch on:
"The Blur!"
"Central City's Red Streak!"
"Flash of Justice!"
Iris is now fully investigating the Blur, and she realizes who it is when they get a clear picture of Barry after he stops the Rogues from robbing Central City Trust.
The action scene is a show-stopper.
In beautiful slow motion, Barry ducks and weaves around Cold's blasts, dancing across shattered glass like water, wind curling behind him with each movement. Every bolt of frost misses him by inches as he moves hostages to safety in streaks of scarlet.
Heatwave's fire spirals in vain; a red blur circles him until his weapon explodes in his hands—non-lethal, but enough to knock him cold.
Lisa tries to flee showing off her meta-human powers but is caught by Barry and given to the police officers.
The Rogues are overwhelmed and arrested.
Iris, piecing everything together, confronts Barry, who confesses that he is the Blur.
She's thrilled he told her and says he needs a new name and maybe a symbol like the other heroes. She christens him The Flash, and Barry decides on a golden lightning bolt for his chest, inspired by the tear that formed in his suit during the fight with the Rogues.
The movie continues with the Rogues' escape. It's a tense scene, and Snart grows suspicious because everything goes a little too smoothly.
Reverse-Flash makes his first appearance to huge cheers, his face a vibrating blur, eyes glowing red.
Snart tries to attack, thinking it's the Flash, but Reverse-Flash manipulates them, claiming Snart's sister was taken by a government agency that suspects she's a metahuman and that it's the Flash's fault. He hands them tech upgrades for their weapons so they can break her out and exact revenge on the Flash.
Barry continues his life as a hero while also investigating his mother's death. He now realizes her killer might have been a speedster like him. He asks Wells for help, and Wells agrees but Barry grows suspicious when Wells slips and reveals a detail Barry has never shared with anyone. Barry plays along now growing suspicious of wells.
The movie continued with Barry's second fight against the Rogues and this time, Snart came prepared. Barry was badly injured and makes it to Iris, who helped him recover. He also told her about his growing suspicions of Wells; Iris theorizes that Snart and Rory might have obtained their weapons from S.T.A.R. Labs.
The story pushes into its final act, where everything unravels. The Rogues decide to take the entire CCPD hostage to find out where Lisa is. Barry is not completely convinced Wells is who he claims to be after investigating the man more.
I could see that Antony Starr's performance had captivated everyone.
Iris decides to investigate S.T.A.R. Labs herself.
Barry races to CCPD after finding out what is happening there but receives a panicked call from Iris—she had seen the other speedster. Now he had to be in two places at once. He chose CCPD first.
Inside CCPD, Captain Cold, Heatwave, and the rest of Snart's crew held everyone hostage, demanding to know where Lisa was.Barry arrives, and a rematch ensues. He has to use his intelligence, not just his speed, to counter Captain Cold and Heatwave. The action sequence was outstanding, Barry's speed now portrayed much like Makkari's in Eternals, faster and more precise than ever.
Barry manages to defeat the Rogues and interrogates Snart, who reveals that a speedster in yellow had told him what happened to his sister, the so-called "Man in Yellow."
Barry then races to Iris, setting up the final confrontation between Reverse-Flash and the Flash.
They finally meet, and Reverse-Flash reveals his identity as Harrison Wells, but in truth Eobard Thawne.
"I was wondering how long it would take," he says as i could see everyone in the hall waited in anticipation for this encounter.
Barry demands to know where Iris is . Thawne says she wasn't dead—yet.
Thawne taunts Barry to ask the question he'd carried all his life.
Barry asks if Thawne killed his mother.
Thawne smiles. "Yes Barry It was me. I killed your mother."
Barry attacks, and they battle across the city at unimaginable speeds in the film's most spectacular and costly action scene.
The fight carried them across the entire city. A blur of red and yellow lightning streaked through Central City, tearing up streets and racing on and across buildings.
They traded blows at impossible speed, Barry now hell-bent on killing Thawne.
Thawne gains the upper hand. He tells Barry how much he hated him, how he had spent years making Barry's life miserable, how he had wormed his way into every corner of it, how he plans to kill Iris before finishing Barry himself. Thawne explains that when he first traveled to the past he'd intended to kill Barry, but ended up murdering Nora instead. Stranded, he realized Barry still had to become the Flash so he could tap the Speed Force and find a way home—so Thawne set everything in motion.
Thawne reveals that he built the cosmic treadmill to channel Barry's Speed Force and return to his own time. In their final clash, Barry outruns Thawne while Iris sabotaged the treadmill.
The machine implodes, sucking Thawne into a collapsing wormhole one Barry manages to outrun.
Barry and Iris survive and share a kiss.
This got a big applause and cheers. It was a very predictable ending but a good one.
The scene shifted: Barry visits his father, explaining that new evidence had surfaced and Henry would get a retrial. It is a deeply emotional moment.
The movie closed with Barry racing through Central City in a brand-new suit—deep red with golden streaks and boots, designed with Silas Stone's help.
His voiceover was calm, confident, proud:
"My name is Barry Allen, and I am the fastest man alive."
A glowing red streak arced across the skyline and vanished into the horizon.
The credits rolled to thunderous applause.
Everyone seemed to love it there were issues that i myself knew but it was still a solid movie; now I just hoped the box office would prove the doom-and-gloom projections wrong.
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Posted on u/DCU
Megathread: The Flash (2015) Review Thread
RT score will be updated every 5–10 minutes for the first hour or so, and then periodically as reviews continue to roll in. I'll keep adding more outlets and snippets as they drop.
Rotten Tomatoes
All Critics: 78% – 67 reviews
Top Critics: 80% – 56 reviews
Certified Fresh
Critics Consensus:
Fast, funny, and full of heart, Edgar Wright's take on The Flash zips along with all the style and charm of his earlier films, with a superhero twist that makes it one of DC's most distinct entries yet.
Audience Score
Verified Audience: 88% – 1,000+ reviews
All Audience: 85% – 10,000+ ratings
Average Rating: 4.3/5
Metacritic
Metascore: 77
Comments
u/TypoTornado43
This was such a great movie. Grant Gustin nailed it as Barry earnest, funny, awkward, and heroic. Antony Starr as Reverse Flash is one of the best castings ever. The guy was… I don't even know how to describe it. He was everything I wanted Reverse Flash to be. The pacing dragged a bit in the second act, but overall, DC is nailing both their heroes and their villains. Loved it.
u/PanicWaffle
Not the best DC film nowhere near Superman or The Dark Knight but still a fun, solid movie. You can tell Edgar Wright had a blast with it. Some jokes didn't land for me, but that final fight was bonkers in the best way.
u/VelcroWarlord
Honestly, the pacing in the final act kinda collapsed, but DAMN that CGI was next level. The way they handled speed on screen? Flawless. The whole theater gasped during the Reverse Flash fight. One guy literally walked out lightheaded lmao.
u/SoggyTacoShell
Loved it. DC is still on fire. If this doesn't hit a billion, I'll be shocked.
u/Skep34imian replying to u/SoggyTacoShell
No way. It'll be lucky to clear $600M. General audiences aren't that hyped. My theater was empty.
u/DreamSnaxreplying to u/Skep34imian
I think the projections are off. Once more people see this and tell their friends, it's going to take off. It's a fun movie.
u/Sksjimmmian
Loved to see supes again even if it was for a moment. The movie was ok for me. I guess I have high expectations for all DCU movies. Idk something felt off in the last act of the movie a lot of pacing issues i hope Adler and Wright will correct in the sequel still all characters were awesome and look forward to Aquaman now.
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The Flash Opens to $65M Domestically, Lowest DCU Debut Yet
DC Studios' latest superhero entry, The Flash, raced into theaters this past weekend with a $65 million domestic opening and an additional $80 million internationally, bringing its global debut to $145 million.
While solid on paper, the numbers mark the lowest opening weekend for a DCU film to date, trailing behind:
Wonder Woman ($90M domestic debut)
The Batman ($190M)
The Dark Knight ($196M)
Superman ($232M)
Industry insiders suggest the film's underperformance could be due to several factors, including:
Audience unfamiliarity with Grant Gustin on the big screen. A crowded summer slate, including strong holdovers from other blockbusters. Guardians of the Galaxy the newest in the DCU rival MCU releasing next week, which may overshadow The Flash in key demographics.
Despite the slower-than-expected start, the studio remains optimistic. Early audience reception has been positive, and analysts point to strong word-of-mouth and the film's crowd-pleasing tone shaped by director Edgar Wright's signature style as reasons The Flash could hold well in the coming weeks.
If The Flash manages to maintain a modest drop next weekend ideally below 50% it could still see a profitable run, especially if it's able to ride the wave of excitement from Guardians instead of getting buried beneath it. For now, The Flash stands as a curious case: a well-reviewed, fan-praised superhero movie that's starting slow but still might sprint to success.
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Posted on r/TheFlash
Thawne was PERFECT.
Just saw The Flash yesterday and… yeah, Reverse-Flash absolutely stole the show. He wasn't even in the movie as much as the Rogues, but every time he was on screen? Chills, man. Chills.
Antony Starr was perfectly cast. He nailed the calm menace, the smugness, the rage, the pettiness. My friends who aren't even big comic fans kept asking me afterward, "Is he really like that in the comics??" And when I told them about the time he time-traveled just to ruin Barry's childhood, or how he's basically dedicated to ruining Barry's life in general, they couldn't believe how petty and hateful this guy is.
I hope DC brings him back soon especially with that end-credits tease.
Top Comments:
u/Supersoarr
Oh yeah, Antony Starr ate. I loved that Barry legit couldn't touch him for most of the fight. He was completely outmatched. Thawne losing was basically his own hubris catching up.
u/MakeinThair2replying to u/Supersoarr
And also Barry outrunning him. Don't forget that. He beat him because he was faster in the end.
u/Crimsheoryreplying to u/MakeinThair2
lol, I wouldn't say Barry's faster. I think Thawne had him dead to rights if it wasn't for the treadmill malfunctioning.
u/MakeinThair2replying to u/Crimsheory
Nah man, Barry literally phased through time in that last sequence. Thawne couldn't keep up.
u/Yelloturnsreplying to u/MakeinThair2
I think it's a mix: Barry's speed + Thawne underestimating him + tech malfunction.
u/FlaJunkieccv
Man, if they go full petty comic Thawne next movie? It's going to be great.
u/NoterdtyRL
Thawne posing as Barry's mentor was just peak Eobard. Dude had to be rock-hard when he revealed everything at the end
u/GodSpb6ease
The end-credit tease definitely looked like he's coming back, maybe a Legion of Doom movie or Flashpoint. If they do flashpoint its gonna be amazing.
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Posted on r/DCU
Breaking Down the JSA Reference in The Flash. And What It Means for the DCU
So after seeing The Flash three times now (yeah, I liked it that much), I wanted to dig into one of the coolest blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments: the Justice Society of America poster in Barry's lab.
It's barely on screen for a few seconds, but it's packed with lore and tells us a LOT about the wider DCU. The poster is hanging near Barry's bulletin board in his lab. It's old and faded, but you can clearly see the words "Justice Society of America" and several golden-age-looking heroes. Definitely a government-era propaganda-style poster from the 1940s or '50s.
Here's who I spotted some obvious, some less so:
Alan Scott – This one's CONFIRMED. He's name-dropped as a former Green Lantern in a convo between Barry and August Heart. The world knows what a Green Lantern is (not sure if they know about Hal, who's said to have been Earth's GL for a decade or more, according to Adler). What's wild is… I also figured out Adler's cameo in the movie: he IS Alan Scott. They used his likeness. So to the people saying he skipped a cameo? No, he didn't. They used his face for Alan Scott.
Doctor Fate – Most likely the same one we saw in Superman, so Fate must still be around.
Hawkman – Winged silhouette and mace are unmistakable.
Wildcat – Boxing gloves and cowl easy spot.
The Atom (Al Pratt) – Classic belt and atomic symbol.
Liberty Belle – You can make out the bell emblem on her chest.
Miss America – Red, white, and blue with a cape.
Sandman – Trench coat and gas mask. Looks exactly like Wesley Dodds.
So what does this mean?
This confirms what many of us suspected:There were active superheroes in the 1930s to 1950s in the DCU. They were publicly known enough to be remembered.There was a Justice Society of America so yes, there was a superhero team before.This is a HUGE deal because it fills in the DCU's history something Adler has mostly avoided until now. Remember, he deleted a JSA reference from Superman. I'm still bitter.
But now? It's canon.
This opens so many doors:
A JSA period film or show
Legacy heroes like Jade, Obsidian, or even a modern Atom
What do you all think?
Did you catch the poster?
Think it's setting up something bigger or was it just worldbuilding flavor?
Either way, I'm glad Adler finally pulled the trigger on this.
Comments:
u/whereiarrowth:
Holy shit, I thought Adler skipped the cameo in this one. Him as Alan Scott is hilarious.
u/CrimsonCC:
Honestly, this is great. I'm really glad Adler finally leaned into this direction. It makes the MCU and DCU feel way more distinct now.
u/Gothambatng:
The "New Age of Heroes" starting with Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash and later Aquaman, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter joining in just hits different with that history behind it.
u/Rejames44s:
I wonder if there were heroes in the '60s, '70s, and '80s too? Or did it all just stop after the JSA? If so, why?? Now I've got a million timeline questions.
u/RedSheory:
So many questions. I NEED ANSWERS.
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The Flash Closes Box Office Run at $708 Million
DC Studios' The Flash has officially ended its box office run with a global total of $708 million, making it the lowest-grossing film in the DCU so far but still a profitable and critically successful entry in the franchise.
With a production budget of $150 million (not including marketing), the film managed to more than quadruple its cost, turning a solid profit and outperforming early projections after a slower-than-expected opening.
It opened with $65 million domestically, but The Flash saw strong word-of-mouth, and numbers held steady in the second and third weekends.
In a recent interview, Daniel Adler, the creative head of DC Studios and producer of The Flash, addressed the film's final numbers:
"It's great. I don't know why some people are running with the agenda that it's disappointing. Yes, it's lower compared to the last four movies, but these are numbers many would dream of. I think we were successful in everything we set out to do."
Adler praised everyone involved in the movie and also confirmed that the studio is currently developing a sequel.